Panko Crumbed Baked Feta & Cherry Tomato Spaghetti
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 blocks feta
1kg cherry tomatoes (or around about)
500g spaghetti
1/4 cup olive oil
50g butter
Whole garlic
2 tsp chilli flakes
4 tbsp panko crumbs
2 tbsp Italian flat lead parsley (approx once chopped)
1 red chilli
4 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 lemons
Method
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees. Finely dice garlic and chilli and place in a pan with cherry tomatoes and 1/4 of the olive oil and start heating on a medium to low heat. Keep stirring occasionally. Add the pine nuts and stir again, leave for a few minutes and lower the heat so the pine nuts don’t burn. Once the tomatoes have softened then add the butter, remaining oil, lemon juice and red wine vinegar and stir again. Leave to simmer on very a low heat. Pour the chilli flakes in with the panko crumbs into a bowl, and stir. Place both blocks of feta onto a lined oven tray and sprinkle the crumbs and chilli flakes on top. Sprinkle any remaining round the edges and don’t worry if some fall off. Place in the oven for 20 mins. Boil a large pot of water while the feta is baking and add pasta once water has boiled. Cook as per pack instructions then drain, keep half a cup of pasta water and add this to the tomatoes. Add pasta to the tomato sauce and stir using tongs so all pasta is well coated. Remove feta from the oven and finally dice up parsley. Pour pasta and sauce into a serving platter, place feta on top, cut each block in half with the spatula once it’s on the pasta, then sprinkle on any remaining panko crumbs, then the parsley on top and serve.